OT Forum 2: Technology, the metaverse can add value to our lives, not replace interaction

In June, Digital Asset’s Co-founder and CEO Yuval Rooz had the opportunity to speak at OT Forum 2, a conference held in Athens, Greece with over 150 speakers participating. This year's conference was focused on “Meta Living and Smart Cities & Smart-Clean Living”. Yuval discussed his views on protecting personal data in the metaverse, the challenges of the future, and how this new reality will shift social relationships and entrepreneurship. 

Yuval kicked off the conversation by touching upon the reality of virtual identity in the metaverse and the security of personal data. "Data protection is already a problem without the metaverse," he said, noting that with the development of the metaverse, "there will be more exposure to people who want to steal data." An example mentioned is the use of deep fakes used to pretend to be someone else to “infiltrate” and intercept critical personal data and information. To Yuval, the continued expansion of the metaverse will undoubtedly affect the global economy by offering faster problem solving and staff training, but “it's not the same to sit here than to be together and talk,” he said. “I don't want the metaverse to replace human interaction." 

During his session, Yuval emphasized that data security is “one of the most important issues” and that the situation in the metaverse “will not be much different from what is true today with the internet,” such as the trend of online bullying. He went on to explain how Digital Asset is “connecting the world and unifying systems,” and how the company is putting identity protection at the forefront of their technology. Currently, Digital Asset is developing technology that will allow a user to control who has access to personal data from the digital wallet, “similar to an identification card or a driver’s license,” he explained.

The conversation eventually shifted to wearable chips—microchips that a user will be able to wear on their body—and the current desire for human-machine interaction. Yuval stressed that "the metaverse will be the biggest application of this trend" while other wearable devices will offer advanced accessibility to those with disabilities. When asked how close to market these advancements are, Yuval described how devices such as "smart glasses are already enabling," but that we are still several years away from “the ability to wear something and connect to a remote location.” 

While more conventional social connections may be changing from the growing influence of the metaverse, and these interruptions by technological development are perhaps “worrying,” Yuval shared he is of the “old school” and that sees a future where natural human contact is still prioritized, one in which we can "improve our lives with technology, but not to replace it.”

For more on OT Forum 2, click here to read the original article. For those not fluent in Greek, be sure to take advantage of the English translation function in your browser.